Whiting's arrow just inches away

OGDEN — It was just a matter of an inch or two.

But in the sport of archery, an inch can be a gap too wide to survive.

Logan's Riley Whiting found that out Thursday during the semifinal round of the World Youth Archery Championships.

The 14-year-old Logan High freshman cruised through the opening rounds of the Compound Cadet (U16) male competition and found himself paired up with fellow American Alexander Sahi in the semifinals.

That's where, twice, Whiting's aim from 60 meters was nearly as precise as he could hope. But on the final two arrows, he was just an inch or two off target.

"I knew as I shot the arrow that it wasn't good," he said. "I was trying to keep myself calm. But nerves got the best of me."

Despite the emotional loss, Whiting still has hope for a medal. His bronze-medal match is set for Sunday afternoon at Lindquist Field.

"It's been pretty intense," he said, just moments after his semifinal match. "But it's fun to have all this competition and see how you can do."

Whiting handily beat Canada's Keenan Brown in the quarterfinals with a 117-112 advantage.

In the semifinals, though, the Cache Valley youngster found himself trailing Sahi by a point after the first and second rounds of shooting.

Sahi faltered a bit in the third round and the duo was tied at 87 points with three arrows left to release.

The first two arrows from Whiting's quiver were true and hit the 10-point center ring while Sahi had just 19 points with one arrow remaining.

Sahi shot first, hitting the 10-point ring, and all Whiting needed to do was match that mark to advance to Sunday's gold medal round.

Feeling some nerves, Whiting dropped his bow for a few moments to collect his focus and let his final arrow fly.

But his aim was an inch or two off, and instead of clinching a victory, Whiting faced a one-shot elimination round.

With both archers required to shoot at the same time, the arrows flew, and as soon as he released, Whiting dropped his head in disappointment.

"You've got to come out and do your best," said Whiting, who set a world record at a recent competition with a perfect score of 120. "That's what I did. I tried my best."

With more than 600 archers from around the world gathered in Ogden for the tournament, the competition has been tough. Whiting, the only competitor from Utah, was also part of the team competition with boys and girls combining to take on squads from other countries.

First, though, Whiting is determined to regain his focus in time to capture the individual bronze medal.

"It's an honor to be here," he said. "I'm happy to be representing the United States. ... It's awesome to have all the different countries here for this."

e-mail: jeborn@desnews.com